MySpaceTV launches user-gen video uploads

MySpace announced a feature on Thursday that allows users to upload webcam videos up to 512 MB in size directly to MySpaceTV. The video application is browser-based, so users will not have to maintain large files on their hard drives.

The videos can be embedded on home pages on the general site, opening up avenues for musicians, actors and other artists, as well as a more rich social networking experience for all users.

Doing a one-up on Facebook, the new feature serves to separate the first-gen social networking site from competitors who have not (yet) added video features. 

The new offering could also have ad revenue implications for MySpace. If the feature is a hit, advertisers could overlay on the upload page, as well on viewing pages for the video.

Jason Kirk, vice president of MySpaceTV, said his team had dealt with concerns about load times and copyright infringement before the launch.

"There are always concerns with page load times, but above all we respect the users choice about what they share and where," Kirk wrote in an email response. "Videos will not autoplay unless a user wants that, so users should be able to embed multiple videos without noticing a significant delay in page load times."

Kirk also wrote that the uploaded videos would be monitored for copyright issues in the same manner as the rest of the content on myspace.com.

The online video offering opens interesting possibilities for users to create channels and networks based off their video preferences. But Kirk said MySpaceTV was only exploring the option at this time, waiting to consult lead users and community heads before implementing user-gen channels. 

For more:
- see the online video feature in action at Myspacetv.com

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